


Fire, meet knife

by MirTheOne



Category: Town of Salem (Video Game)
Genre: Ellis broke his glasses once a week, I LOVE MY MURDERY CHILDREN, M/M, and then they meet, yay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-26 09:33:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16679071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MirTheOne/pseuds/MirTheOne
Summary: Ellis and Earl's first meeting





	1. Ellis's side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love my children ok have some of em

Being an arsonist had to be in the bottom three of Ellis’s aspired professions. Why would a librarian play with fire anyway?

But NOOO he just had to be picked to be an arsonist. A neutral. Ellis would be fine if he was a townie or a mafia or any role with a team, honestly. Having to win alone sucked. Having the smell of gasoline sticking to his clothes sucked. The thought of having to burn down precious, precious books was the worst.

Maybe that’s why Ellis hadn’t ignited yet. Yes, igniting so early on was a bad idea but still... He would be a happier man if he didn’t have to kill anyone at all. Maybe he could be like that arsonist a couple centuries ago. The one who won without igniting at all. 

Then the angry townies would be after his neck and he would be dead anyway.

Why was he thinking this as he carried a gasoline tank to the Willows’s house? Only god knew. Maybe it’s some sort of inner instinct. A very cursed inner instinct. An instinct that made him go around pouring gasoline in people’s houses.

When Ellis reached the house, he walked around trying to find an opening. He found an open window by the kitchen. Could it be a trap? Hell if he knew. All he cared about was finishing the job. So he carefully climbed in the window. After he’s in, he picked up the tank and hauled it inside.

The damned thing was heavy too.

Once he’s inside though, he found that an already open window was the worst entry point. Stephen Willow was standing in the kitchen, his mouth gaped in shock.

“Uh... Hi?” Ellis nervously greeted.

Stephen took a running stance, so Ellis lunged at him. He choked the man and goddamit, he didn’t think this through. Turned out it’s not easy to knock out someone by choking them, so he grabbed a nearby chair and slammed it on Stephen.

That didn’t knock him out, but enough to disorient him. Ellis let him go and looked around in panic. He spotted a bundle of ropes in the corner of the kitchen. Huh. Convenient. He didn’t complain though. He grabbed the ropes and used it to tie up Stephen. He used a handkerchief he always carried around to gag him. 

At that point, Stephen managed to clear his mind again. He tried to struggle against the restrains, but failed. He tried to scream, but the handkerchief stopped all noise from his mouth. Ellis sighed in relief before realizing he needed to kill him or he would tell. Shit.

He decided he’ll think about it later.

Ellis walked around the house with the tank, dousing the important spots. When he came across a bookcase, he hesitated. But he doused it anyway. Can’t miss it, or they could survive the fire by hiding there. 

Ellis emptied the tank and went back to the kitchen. As he walked there, he could feel the smell of gasoline disappearing from the air. How? He would rather not to think about it. All the magic going around made him dizzy.

 

He opened the door to the kitchen and found that Stephen was no longer alone. A green-eyed man with glasses stood there, holding a knife. A knife. Since the man didn’t look like a Willow, he assumed the man entered through the window. The two men stared at each other in shock as Ellis’s mind made a connection.

An intruder. With a knife. The Serial Killer.

Shit.

Dumb reaction, but that thought triggered Ellis’s fight or flight response. What did he do? Chucked the tank at the serial killer. Ellis didn’t wait to see if it hit. He only knew that must’ve distracted him. Ellis rushed to the window and jumped out of it. He rolled on the ground, jumped upright, then ran again.

He ran, and ran, and ran all the way home without thinking. It’s when he locked his door behind him that he realized he left his tank at the Willows’s.

“God-fucking-dammit.” Ellis slid to the floor, exhausted.

He’s so bad at this arsonist business, it’s a wonder he’s not dead yet.

***

Ellis woke up on his couch the next day. It appeared that he was too tired to go to his bedroom, so he crawled into his couch and fell asleep. He groaned and rolled his body. But here’s the thing. His bed was twice as huge as he was. The couch could barely fit him on it. Naturally, he fell off the couch.

He hit the ground with a resounding thud and a yelp of shock and horror. He fell on his face too. It’s not nighttime anymore, so he’s sure the fall must’ve had left a bruise. Ellis pushed himself onto a sitting position, rubbing his face looking for sore spots. He felt one on his cheekbone when he realized that something was missing.

His glasses.

Ellis felt around in panic. He needed his glasses for, well, everything. He’s practically blind without it. Luckily, he soon found it laying near his left leg. Less luckily though, one of the hinges fell off.

“Oh, come on!” He groaned in annoyance and desperation. “Of course my last surviving pair of glasses have to be broken!”

He’s going to have to visit the glasses store. Again.

When did his life came to dousing people and breaking glasses??

Ellis noticed that he’s still dressed in last night’s coat. Even better. He didn’t have to worry about dressing up. Now for the problem of getting there without being trampled.

Hmm...

***

Ellis felt utterly ridiculous.

He’s holding the intact template with his right hand to see through it. He noticed that while most people didn’t notice, the others did snickered at him. If one of the town’s gossip sources spotted him, it would be the end of his dignity. At least his cheekbone didn’t bruise too much.

Thank god he reached the store without such person showing up.

Ellis immediately spotted Ruby, the employee he’s most familiar with. He made a beeline for Ruby’s counter, shoving another customer away. Hey, as far as Ellis saw it, the man already finished his business. He’s just speeding up the process.

“Ruby.” Ellis put his glasses on the counter. “I broke my glasses.”

Ruby looked really, really unimpressed. “Again?”

“Again.”

Ruby sighed and grabbed the glasses from the counter. She adjusted the red ribbon on her messy hair before inspecting the damage. 

“Yep. Broken hinge. As usual.”

Ruby pulled out another glasses – Ellis couldn’t exactly see where she got them from.

“Wear this until I fix your glasses. It will be ready tomorrow. Just pay when you pick it up,” she said, putting Ellis’s glasses away.

He put on the glasses. A bit heavier than his usual, but he’ll bear with it for a day. Ruby smiled in satisfaction.

“Make sure you don’t break that one. Alicia would throw blades at you if you do.”

Ellis nodded. “Got it.”

“Also, you might wanna apologize to Melrose. You gave him quite a shove.”

“Melrose?”

“Yeah.” Ruby kept the same unimpressed look. “The doctor. You’ll find him in the hospital somewhere. He left just a few moment ago though, so you might came across him on the streets.”

“Okay...” Ellis muttered. He didn't had any idea who Melrose was. In his defense, everything was blurry. “Thanks Ruby.”

“Anytime,” she said with a lazy smile.

Ellis left the store, determined to not break the glasses Ruby gave him. After all, the rage of Alicia Royce wasn’t something he’d like to deal with. That woman was nothing like her sibling.

***

If he was to be honest, Ellis was not intending to apologize to this doctor Melrose.

He didn’t think he’s going to meet him a lot anyway. Ellis was not the type to check in with a doctor on injuries. Not that he got injured a lot anyway. But of course, fate said no when he was pulled into an alley and slammed against the wall.

The impact knocked the air out of his lungs. Ellis coughed, trying to catch a breath. The hand pulling his collar made that a tougher job though. As his vision cleared, he saw who his attacker was. 

Green eyes. Glasses. He’s the serial killer from last night.

“Well, well, well, look who we have here,” the man growled. “An arsonist wandering around on his own.”

“What are you going to do, kill me?” Ellis smirked. “You wouldn’t want a body in the day, would you?”

The man gritted his teeth. “No. That would be stupid of me. I’m pretty sure you had left my name in your will, like I had.”

Wrote his name in his will. Right. He didn’t even know who he was, but the killer seemed to know his. He found out just now, when he saw that name tag on his coat. Amateur mistake.

“Alrighty. Let me go?” Ellis pleaded. Melrose grunted and thrown him to the ground. Ellis stumbled, but didn’t took the fall.

“I won’t burn your house down if you’re so worried, Doctor Melrose.” Ellis emphasized on his title, as if highlighting the irony. “Your will will be... condemning.”

“I would like to charge you for breaking my glasses.” 

Ellis blinked. “What?”

“I said,” Melrose repeated. “I would like to charge you for breaking my glasses.”

“If you sue me, I'll tell everyone you're the serial killer.”

“Not that charge.” He readjusted his glasses. “I mean you’re going to pay for my new glasses.”

When Ellis did nothing but stare blankly, he sighed. “That tank you thrown at me? It hit my face straight on. Night immunity protected my face, but not my glasses.”

“I don’t have money.” That’s a blatant lie, but new glasses were not cheap and Ellis also needed a new one.

“That, or you can buy me dinner.” Melrose said with a deadpan look.

“You’re kidding me.”

“No, I’m not,” the man replied. “I love pies. You can either buy me some from the Andersons or some new glasses.”

“Now I’m sure you’re joking.” Ellis chuckled. “The Andersons’ pie is shit.”

When Ellis realized he’s not joking, he sighed. “You know what? Come to my place tonight and I’ll make you the best pie you ever have in your life.”

“It has to be blueberry.”

“It will be blueberry.” Ellis nodded in agreement. “My house is at-”

“I know where your house is,” Melrose interjected. “I’ll come tonight at 8.” 

“Okay,” Ellis said. “See you tonight.”

Melrose left, leaving Ellis in the alleyway alone. He couldn’t believe it. A serial killer let him off in exchange for blueberry pie? That’s luck if he ever knew it. He would need to buy some berries, sure, but it’s relatively cheap compared to glasses. Now there’s only one problem left.

“What the hell is his first name?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dae where's whitaker


	2. Earl's side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now Earl's side! Because I can't seem to write Joseph and Sandor well enough that story is kicked back for skarso

Earl was bored. That meant time for murder.

He walked down the street with calmness and confidence. So much so that you wouldn’t think that he was about to kill someone. He already had a target in mind. Stephen Willow, the idiot that dared to challenge his medical knowledge. The guy who sold veggies for a living tried to outdoctor an actual doctor? Hah! He’s going to pay for that.

The Willows had a pretty big house to accommodate the huge family and the connected store. Usually it means trouble, but the Willows didn’t hire any sort of guard or servants. Getting in should be easy. So easy in fact, that Earl found an open window.

His rational mind screamed IT’S A TRAP MELROSE ABORT ABORT ABORT but he ignored it.

He climbed in the window with relative ease. Earl was getting ready to scour the house when he realized someone tied at his feet.

And of course it’s Stephen Willow. Bound and gagged.

“Hi, Stephen!” Earl crouched in front of the man. He waved the knife he carried in front of him. “Look at what I got? This right here is going in your neck in a minute or two!”

The look he got in return was fucking priceless.

Earl returned to his feet. Despite his wonderful luck, there’s still questions to ask.

“But who tied you up, hmm?” He asked Stephen, who in no way could answer because he was gagged. “Is your girlfriend up to some freaky stuff?”

Earl glanced at him. “There’s no way you can possibly get some anyway.”

He must’ve hit a nerve or two in there, because Stephen growled at him.

Then the answer to Earl’s first question came in the form of a man holding a huge, cylindrical tank.

The three men stare in each other, taking in the sight before them. Earl quickly recognized the newcomer. Ellis Armitage, the cute librarian he sometimes eyed when going to work. But as far as he knew, Armitage was a soft-spoken and calm man. What the hell was he doing the-

Intense pain spread on Earl’s face and the world went dark for a split second. When he realized what happened, he’s on the ground. The first thing he saw was broken glasses and that goddamned gas tank.

“What. The actual. Fuck.”

Great. He’s going to have to buy new glasses. He got up, night immunity protecting him from any sort of injuries. As he inspected the tank, he realized that it’s a gasoline tank. There’s only one conclusion to draw from this. The soft-spoken and kinda cute librarian was an arsonist. 

And he was hoping to score a boyfriend. Well, things happened.

“Well, Stevie, guess the cut won’t be so clean tonight.” Earl shrugged, turning to Stephen. “Now would you like to do it here or in my baseme- fuck that came out wrong.”

Stephen looked terrified. Earl sighed.

“Looks like we’re doing it here. That... still sounds wrong.”

***

Earl walked home carrying the not-so-heavy-after-all tank. On his way, he pondered the handkerchief he took from Stephen. It’s not his. The Willows were weirdos that sewn their crest into handkerchiefs. So it must be Armitage’s. He could leave it there and frame him, but he’s sure he’s currently writing Earl’s name in his will.

And his fucking glasses was broken too. He’s going to ask Armitage for compensation.

“En garde, bitch!”

Someone leaped out of the bushes with something long and pointy, but Earl side-stepped. The thing – rapier, he noticed – stuck to a tree, much to the owner’s dismay.

“Come on, come o-”

Earl couldn’t be bothered with the man. He bludgeoned him with Armitage’s tank and leave.

***

Earl walked to the glasses store before work the next morning. For some reason, he had washed Armitage’s handkerchief. He’s currently clutching it in his coat pocket, again, for reasons not even he knew. It just felt oddly comforting.

When he reached the glasses store, he went to the only empty counter there. The person there was someone he vaguely remembered. Ruby Royce, if he’s not mistaken.

“So what can I help you with, Doctor Melrose?” He asked him.

“Glasses. Same measurements as last time.”

Ruby smirked. “Broke it, huh? Hey Jonas!”

Another man – Jonas – turned to him. “What is it, princess?”

“Grab me some glasses, will ya!”

“Nah, missy. Go grab it yourself.”

Ruby grunted and jumped of the chair and into the back room, a string of red ribbon waving back. Ah. It’s red day.

She soon returned with a pair of glasses. “Here. Same measurements and all.”

Earl put it on, the glasses matching perfectly.

“Thanks.” He smiled and put the money he needed to pay on the counter. Not cheap, but... he could afford it.

That’s when Earl received a shove from another customer, almost tumbling to the floor. He caught his fall with the corner of another counter. Ruby seemed to be preoccupied with the new costumer almost instantly. 

The customer, he noticed, was Armitage.

Earl immediately left, hoping to ambush him in a more quiet place to have a more private talk.

***

The ambush went better than planned.

Armitage, despite being taller than him, wasn’t hard to subdue. Not at all. After some threatening not to expose one another, Earl started thinking up payment. Glasses would fit. Well, that or pie. He really could use some pie.

Surprisingly, Armitage chose pie. After declaring the Andersons’ pie as shit – he took offence – he told Earl that he made pie. That’s... not something he saw coming from a librarian. But something he saw coming from an arsonist. Earl would meet him up later that night for pie in his house.

“Okay, see you tonight,” Armitage said.

After leaving him, Earl went to the nearest other secluded alleyway to scream his lungs out.

What the fuck. He just agreed. To dinner. With an arsonist. Food being pie made by said arsonist. What the fuck just happened. He’s not complaining, but he couldn’t comprehend what just happened. He really Did That. 

Earl clutched Armitage’s handkerchief in his pocket. That pie better be good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That last part? I was too lazy to type out the entire conversation again. So the summary is all you get.


End file.
